The Impact of a National Vaccination Campaign on Reducing COVID-19 Disease Severity in the United States

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  • April 7, 2022
Creator
  • Elizabeth Zhang
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Economics
Abstract
  • This study investigates the impact of a national vaccination campaign on reducing severe disease associated with COVID-19 in the United States from April 2020 through February 2022. While many public health policies have contributed to slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the adoption of a mass vaccination program has been notable in altering the course of the pandemic. Disease surveillance and vaccination data provided by USAFacts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used in predicting the impact of vaccination rates on disease outcomes. We use a correlated random effects approach to estimate the moving average of new COVID-19 deaths per 1 million people as a function of vaccination rates, the moving average of new COVID-19 cases per 1 million people, and county-specific features. This method efficiently accounts for a degree of correlation between unobservable county characteristics and main explanatory factors through including means of time-varying variables as regressors in the model. We find that the positive link between the moving average of new cases and the moving average of new deaths in the population is significantly weakened with the increase in vaccination efforts among older adults. We also find that county demographic, socioeconomic, and population health indicators are important for addressing communities that carry a disproportionate burden of disease. Overall, we demonstrate the population effectiveness of implementing a national vaccination campaign and contribute additional support for vaccines in reducing the severity of COVID-19. These findings may be used to illuminate gaps in current initiatives aimed at helping vulnerable communities deal with COVID-19 and other public health crises.
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  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • David Guilkey
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Economics
Degree
  • Bachelor of Science
Graduation year
  • 2022
Language
  • English

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